jenkins



(No'Model.)

M. R. JENKINS.l

TELBGRAPHKBY. No. 351,834. Patented'Nov. Z, 1886.

'L El N. PETERS. Piotovumagmpher. washington, |11A C.

my improved telegraph-key. Fig. 2 is a side .the opening and closing` of the circuit prepar- UNTED STATES PATNT OFFICE.

`MARION R. JENKINS, OF BROVNING, MISSOURI.

TELEeRAPH-KEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,834, dated November 2, 1886.

Application ined octnber'ic. 1885,

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARION B. JENKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Browning, in the county of Linn and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telegraph-Keys; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and iigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.v

My invention relates to that class of telegraph-keys used for making and breaking circuit in sending Morse characters by hand; and it has for its obj ects to prevent the well-known sticking77 of the circuitclosing contacts, which is so great a hinderance of rapid and distinct sending 5 to relieve the operators hand of the jarring, which is such an objectionable incidentof the use of ordinary keys, and not infrequently results in paralysis; to facilitate atory to use and disuse of the key, and .to improve the general construction and arrangement of the parts of the key and its base. In the accomplishment of these objects my invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of the parts composing the key, which may be fully understood from the following particular description in connection with the accompanying draw-ings, and the novel features of which will bedeiinitel y pointed 4out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings, Figure l is a top view of elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line x x of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is adctail perspective view of the supplementary lever. Fig. 5 is anend view of the same, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged section on line y y.

The letter A designates the non-conducting base, which supports all the other parts, and is round and flat or disk-like in shape, this form giving superior compactness and economyin construction. To this base are secured two metal posts, B B, providedv with concavetipped center screw-bearings, C C, which receive' the conical tips of trunnions D D, which Serial No. 180,093. (No model.)

project from opposite sides of a main keyle Ver, E. The short arm c' of this main lever is provided with an adjustable stop screw, f, whichstrikes upon a stop-plate, g, and the long arm e is forced upward by a spring, h, the tension of which is regulated by an adjustable screw, z'.

Under the main lever is'arranged a supplementary lever, J, which operates in co-operation with said main lever. That end of the supplementary lever J which 'lies under the trunnions of the main lever is wide, as shown at j, and sai-d lever has an opening or slot, j', through which the spring h of the main lever reaches the base A clear of the supplementary lever. The supplementary lever at the widest portion of its inner end is provided with downwardly-projecting knife-edges k 7c, which rest in a shallow groove in ametallic bearing-plate, Z, which is let into the base A, and between the knife-edges k k an opening is formed iu the supplementary lever and tt'ed with the shank of a hard-rubber or other-nouconducting button, Z, through which is passed a metallic screw, m, the head of which is insulated from the under surface of the lever by a non-conducting washer, m.

The upwardly-turned tip of the screw has a conical recess, which serves `as a bearing for the conical tip of an adjustable sc-rew or arm, N, which projects downward from the main lever E between its trunnions, so that when said main lever is oscillatedon its trunnions, the screw or arm N will be vibratcd and cause the supplementary lever to vibrate on its knifeedges. When the longarm of the main lever is depressed, the projecting arm of the supplementary lever rises to meet it, and a contact-point,q, of said lever below comes in contact with a similar point, q', of the lever above, andthe lower lever sinks as the upper lever is again to rise.

The binding-post p is connected with the" post B', its screw-bearing, and the trunnion,

which has its bearing in said screw. The posts p and p are to hold the endsof 4line-wires.

It willbe seen, then, that the points q and q of roo the supplementary and main levers must be brought together to make and allowed to separate to break 7 circuit, and as these contact-points are caused to travel toward and from each other, (instead of one being` at rest and the other doing all the traveling) they are not required to be adjusted so closely together for rapid transmission as is the casein ordinary; keys but even when quite closely adjusted the levers so co-operate to open a space between them that even when the strongest current iiows over the circuit the contacts will not stick.7

The non-conducting finger button or knob It ofthe main key-lever has a metallic shank, i', which screws up into the knob through the end of the lever, and to the lower end of this shank is secured a curved metallic spring-finger, s, which, by depressing the main lever and turning theknob, maybe caused to projcctnnder the supplementary lever and hold the two levers in metallic contact, either by the touching together of theircontact-points q and q or by the metallic connection formed by the spring itself. This will be the position ofthe levers when the key is not in use and the cir cuit is closed through it. By turning the button, say, one-fourth of a revolution, the spring may be caused to project laterally and release the supplementary lever to open the circuit preparatory to using the key.

I prefer to mill or notch the periphery of the knob R, in order that it may be turned readily. By means of this knob and circuit closing spring the operator avoids the manipulation ofaseparatc cut-outoreircuitclosing and opening device, such as commonly used with transmitting-keys.

The projecting` arm of the supplementary lever J is slightly elastic and holds its contactpoint q directly under the point q' of the main lever, s0 that when the point q strikes the lower point the supplementary lever yields sufficiently to prevent that pounding action which, in the old-style keys,communieates to the hand and arm ofthe operator a jarring, which becomes extremely disagreeable, and sometimes causes paralysis.

I do not limit my invention to the precise construction and arrangement of the parts as shown in my drawings, but reserve to myself, broadly, the right to arrange the two levers in any manner that will enable them to move in co-operation with each other for making and breaking the circuit, and I may provide either one of theselevers with a circuit-closing device for engaging and releasing the other preparatory to using and disnsing the key.

W'hat I claim isl. In atelegraph-key, the combination,witl1 cach other, of the main and supplementary levers, connected and arranged, substantially as described, to alternately approach and recede from each other for making and breaking contact as the result of manipulation ofthe main lever.

2. The combination, with the pivoted main lever and the supplementary lever,of a retracting-spri ng for said main lever, the arm projectingdownward from about the fulcrnm-line of 7o said main lever, andlooselyengaging, but insulated from,the supplementarylever ataboutthe fulcrum-linc of the latter, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a main Ykey-lever having one arm provided with a circuit-closing contact-point, ofa contact-point mounted upon an elastic lever and arranged to come in contact with that ofthe main lever, for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the main and su pplementary levers, arranged and mechanical] y connected and supported substantially as dcscribed, of a circuit-closing link or hook attached to one of said levers and arranged to engage and disengage the other.

5. The combinatiomwith the pivoted supplementary lever, of the pivoted main lever having a rotary non-conducting fingenknob and a curved metallic spring connected with said knob and arranged to be thereby swung into or ont of engagement with the supplementary lcver, so as to establish metallic connection between said lcvers, essentially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARION It. JENKINS. \Vitnesses:

B. D. ROLLING, C. A. Dnixnnmcit. 

